Since writing your book, what has been your favorite moment to date?
Let’s talk about dogs. I can’t get enough of my little guy, Punch. He’s a rowdy Shiba Inu, black & tan, and a total runt. But he doesn’t seem to notice—likes to play rough with the big dogs, which I love about him.
I’m going somewhere with this, I promise!
Punch and I see a lot of the same canines when we hit the park. He sniffs a lot of familiar butts, and, by extension, I see a lot of familiar humans. So, last week, this sweet couple comes over, grey whippet puppy yanking at the leash, and the girlfriend, she says, unabashedly, “Hey! We were doing a bit of online stalking and stumbled across your memoir. You wrote a memoir! We totally pre-purchased a copy…” And I’m thinking, Holy crap, you’re probably the first people ever to order Disarmed. And then I realize, Double holy crap. I’m an author. No turning back.
What do you hope people walk away with from reading your book?
I’d like them to walk away with all their limbs intact. I know, I know, barrel of laughs … Truth is, I believe we’re all missing an arm. For some of us that’s called cancer, or divorce, or depression, or even just a really bad day. The unifying factor is that we’re all dealing with something. I want people to walk away from Disarmed “armed” with the tools they need to keep moving forward, to crawl to their call. Because, truth is, if a nerdy Jewish kid from Miami could become the only one-armed Special Forces operative in the world, than my readers can accomplish anything. I want to help them figure that out.
Beauty is…
When people connect. And I mean it literally. People holding hands, or arms interlocked, or fingers intertwined. These aren’t thing I get to experience often, so I appreciate when I see it. Gives me the warm and fuzzies. Speaking of warm and fuzzy, heat up a donut and serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and watch me weep.
I am happiest when …
I’m creating. When I’m too busy to think.
